#127

Despite the fact that each and every time these events happen and we say we can't believe it, it happens again. George Floyd’s killing at the hands of law enforcement officers and subsequent outpouring not just in the US, but around the world, does, however, feel different. I have no doubt that the last week of May 2020 and the first week of June 2020 will - in years to come - be cited as a turning point in US history.

While it is easy during times of crisis to feel powerless and/or consumed by emotions, it is paramount (i) to acknowledge one’s privilege, (ii) to be an ally to those who (for generations) have experienced marginalization, emotional and physical distress and worse, and (iii) to challenge the racial inequalities and discrimination that exist. This reflection may be through education in a formal sense as teacher and/or student, through authentic dialogue, or simply by deciding to educate oneself and embark on a path of personal growth.

This week’s blog post title is taken from Rachel Cargle’s quote, "My equation for Black allyship is: knowledge + empathy + action". With these three components in mind, I offer the following resources during these troubled times:

Knowledge:

• Expand your knowledge and understanding of the historical contexts and current reality regarding inequalities and discrimination and observations thereof through reading, listening to podcasts etc.,. Smithsonian: National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Talking About Race and Anti-racism resources for white people are great starting points.

• Read Dastagir’s USA Today article, 'Riots,' 'violence,' 'looting': Words matter when talking about race and unrest, experts say, Washington’s The New Yorker article, George Floyd, Houston’s Protests, and Living Without the Benefit of the Doubt, and Wright’s The New Yorker article, Fury at America and Its Values Spreads Globally

• Watch An interview with the founders of Black Lives Matter TED Talk

Empathy:

• Read anecdotal experiences shared by people of colour on various social media channels including the Pantsuit Nation Facebook Group.

• Learn about influencers for change. As referenced in my August 2019 blog entitled Franklin, Harriet Glickman’s persistence and wholehearted belief in the importance of representation lead to Schulz introducing Franklin to the comic strip, Peanuts.

• Read NPR’s article Walking The Beat In Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, Where A New Day Began Together referencing the iconic 1969 scene where Mr. Rogers and Officer Clemmons shared a foot bath; The Los Angeles article, Op-Ed: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Don’t understand the protests? What you’re seeing is people pushed to the edge, which Abdul-Jabbar concludes with “What I want to see is not a rush to judgment, but a rush to justice.”, and Willis’ article, entitled We Cry Out For Justice, referencing the Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of the Life and two practices best summarized as “exchanging self with others” and “equalizing self and others”.

Action:

• Ensure community libraries, school libraries, classroom libraries and home libraries are representative: 31 Children's books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance and Lambert’s 10 Tips for Reading Picture Books with Children through a Race-Conscious Lens

• Listen to NPR’s D.C. Protesters Hail The Hero Of Swann St., Who Sheltered Them From Arrest

• Participate in The Movement for Black Lives’ Week of Action in Defense of Black Lives

• Greenpeace’s Toolkit: Take action to defend Black Lives

• Read and act upon suggestions listed in Shutack’s 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice

• Sign petitions such as Avaaz’s George Floyd: Sign the public open letter against racism and police brutality and Change.org’s Battle racism by updating GCSE reading lists

• Donate, as funds permit, to organizations which challenge the racial inequalities and discrimination that exist.

• Demonstrate. Protest safely (See below, original source unknown)
  

I have previously shared and referenced Benjamin Zephaniah’s poem, Good Hope which clearly expresses hope and belief in making our world better for all. It seems apt to share it yet again.

Good Hope

I believe

There is enough food

On this planet

For everyone.

I believe

That it is possible

For all people

To live in peace.

I believe

We can live

Without guns,

I believe everyone

Is important.

I believe there are good

Christians

And good Muslims,

Good Jews

And good not sures.

I believe

There is good in everyone.

I believe in people.

If I did not believe

I would stop writing.

I know

Every day

Children cry for water,

And every day

Racists attack.

Still every day

Children play

With no care for colour.

So I believe there is hope

And I hope

That there are many believers

Believing

There is hope.

That is what I hope

And this is what I believe.

I believe in you,

Believe me

The importance of being an ally, the role of education, and social justice is evident in these quotes:

“Anti-racism work is not self-improvement work for white people.

It doesn’t end when white people feel better about what they’ve done.

It ends when Black people are staying alive and they have their liberation.”

~ Rachel Cargle

"My equation for Black allyship is:

knowledge + empathy + action"

~ Rachel Cargle

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change.

I am changing the things I cannot accept.”

~ Angela Y. Davis

“In a racist society it is not enough to be non-racist,

we must be anti-racist.”

~ Angela Y. Davis

“Something is terribly wrong if the pain, sorrow and outrage of a people

makes you more uncomfortable than murder itself.”

~ Rupi Kaur

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies,

but the silence of our friends.”

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and think critically.

Intelligence plus character; that is the goal of a true education.”

~ Martin Luther King Jr.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Education is the most powerful weapon

which you can use to change the world.”

~ Mandela

“The beauty of anti-racism is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be an anti-racist. Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it,

including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward.”

~ Ijeoma Oluo

“Anti-racism is not an identity or a checklist;

it’s a practice.”

~ Andrea Ranae

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice,

you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

~ Desmond Tutu

“Equal rights for others does not mean less rights for you. It’s not pie.”

~ Unknown

“It is not enough to be quietly non-racist,

now is the time to be vocally anti-racist.”

~ Unknown

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.

Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

~ Elie Wiesel

As we (within the school settings and on a personal level) reflect on history, recent events and our roles as allies, how can we - with the view to making the world a better place for all - challenge the racial inequalities and discrimination that exist in the larger community?

References:

• Abdul-Jabbar (2020) Op-Ed: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Don’t understand the protests? What you’re seeing is people pushed to the edge The Los Angeles Times

• Brady, A. (2019) Franklin https://anitajbrady.wixsite.com/educator/blog-1 Dastagir, A. (2020) 'Riots,' 'violence,' 'looting': Words matter when talking about race and unrest, experts say USA Today

• Embracerace 31 Children's books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance. Embracerace.org

• EWP Team (2020) 25+ Powerful Quotes on Racial Justice and Anti-Racism

• Flicker, S. and Klein, A. (2020) Anti-racism resources

• Greenpeace (2020) Toolkit: Take action to defend Black Lives

• Lambert, M. 10 Tips for Reading Picture Books with Children through a Race-Conscious Lens Embracerace.org

• NPR (2020) D.C. Protesters Hail The Hero Of Swann St., Who Sheltered Them From Arrest

• NPR (2016) Walking The Beat In Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, Where A New Day Began Together NPR

• Shutack, C. (2017) 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice medium.com

• Smithsonian: National Museum of African American History and Culture (2020) Talking About Race

• TED Talk (2016) An interview with the founders of Black Lives Matter

• The Movement for Black Lives (2020) Week of Action in Defense of Black Lives The Movement for Black Lives

• Washington, B (2020) George Floyd, Houston’s Protests, and Living Without the Benefit of the Doubt The New Yorker

• Willis, J. (2020) We Cry Out For Justice Lion’s Roar

• Wright, R. (2020) Fury at America and Its Values Spreads Globally The New Yorker

• Zephaniah, B. (1997) Funky Chickens Puffin Poetry